Speaker in no hurry over PAC 'report' on 2G

Speaker Meira Kumar appears to be in no hurry to decide whether the "document" submitted by PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi is the report of the prestigious committee that went into the 2G spectrum scam, Parliament sources said today.

delhiUpdated: May 02, 2011 20:13 IST

PTI

Speaker Meira Kumar appears to be in no hurry to decide whether the "document" submitted by PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi is the report of the prestigious committee that went into the 2G spectrum scam, Parliament sources said on Monday.

The controversial draft report that was sharply critical of the PMO, Prime Minister, the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram among others was 'rejected' by the majority of members during a chaotic meeting last week.

"All the materials which have been submitted in connection with the PAC are under examination", they said, without giving any time frame as to when a decision would be made by the Speaker.

To a specific question when the report submitted by Joshi to her would be tabled in Parliament, they said the "document" given by the BJP veteran, as also the papers submitted by Congress and like-minded parties were under examination. Joshi, who has again been appointed as PAC Chairman for a second term, had submitted the report to the Speaker's Office on Saturday last, unfazed by the "rejection" of the draft report by Congress, DMK, SP and BSP members by majority in the 21-member Committee. "I have submitted the report...

My expectation is that the Speaker should accept it and place it in Parliament," Joshi had said. Government had made sharp attacks on Joshi's reasoning. Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal had yesterday said that "going by Joshi's queer theory, the entire democratic system would crumble with a minority in Parliament insisting on treating their views as the decision of Parliament".

Congress and DMK members have attacked the draft, saying it had been prepared by Joshi with a "malafide" intention of destabilising the government. On the issue of appointment of Joshi as PAC Chairman for a second term, Parliament sources said "there was no controversy over it. The appointment has been done under rules". As per rules, the main opposition party suggests the name of its member for the PAC Chairman's post, after which the Speaker nominates him, they said.